Summer Squash Soup - Test 1

Good hot or cold - good for picnics
1 - It made a good soup, but a bit plain; I put in 4 dashes of hot sauce which made it spicy, which was an improvement. I wonder about herbs? 

2 - I've increased the recipe by a third, and I've decided on tarragon for the herb with chives as a garnish. In thinking about it as I am making it, it also occurs to me that cooking the onion with a little garlic just until the onion is soft and not coloured might also add flavor. Boiling the onion might keep it light and allow the zucchini and tarragon to come through better. I don't know. Things to try.

The result is a very delicate soup. Ben quite liked it and seemed to grow to like it as he ate it. With the addition of tarragon the hot sauce does not work. Not something he'd like frequently. I forgot to put in broth, I only used water, but this might change things a bit again. 

3 - This worked really quite nicely. It really only makes 4 proper bowls of soup.

4 servings

3 med zucchini (14oz/600g) grated
3 cups chicken or veg broth
3 medium onions (18oz/410g) chopped fine
1/2 tsp hot sauce
½ tsp pepper
¾ cup yogurt + more for topping

2 Tbsps. tarragon

Chives and yogurt (for garnish)

1. Combine broth, zucchini and onion in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until the onions soften.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the tarragon and pepper.
4. Process in a blender, add yogurt mix well until smooth.
5. Serve with chives and any extra tarragon sprinkled on top and pass around a bowl of fresh yogurt to drizzle over the soup.

Ginger Peanut Soup - Testing

This is a recipe from a café I worked at a long time ago!

1 - I have no idea when I last made this. It seems like adding tamari and lemon juice helps flavors pop. But how much?

4 to 6 servings

2 Tbsps. oil

1½ cups broccoli florets
1½ cups bean sprouts
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp grated ginger root
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 cups veg stock
1 28 14oz can diced tomatoes
5 Tbsps. (75g) natural peanut butter

? tsps. Soy sauce

? tsps. lemon juice

1. In a large soup pot heat the oil and sauté the broccoli, bean sprouts, onions, ginger, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper until the onions are just tender.
2. Add the stock, tomatoes and peanut butter.
3. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to gentle simmer and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Untested - Witches' Fingers cookies

Witches' Fingers

http://www.coffeeandvanilla.com/halloween-short-bread-bloody-fingers-or-scary-faces/


INGREDIENTS

315g unsalted butter / 1¼ bar (softened)
4 cups plain flour
1 cup light brown soft Muscovado or golden caster sugar
90-180 whole almonds (90 for finger cookies, 180 for scary faces)
3 tbs vanilla sugar
5 tbs milk
red dessert sauce to serve (I used mixed berry: boysenberries, strawberries and raspberries sauce)

1. Combine butter, flour, sugars and knead with your hands till dough is smooth and sticky.
2. Divide it into 3-4 portions and place in the fridge for about an hour and up to 72 hours.
3. In meantime pour boiling water over almonds, leave them like this for couple of minutes. Drain and remove skin, leave aside.
4. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
5. Take out from the fridge one portion of the dough, create fingers or faces and place on baking tray lined with Teflon sheets. Bake for about 20 minutes till golden. Leave aside to cool down.
6. Repeat the same with the rest of the dough.
7. When cookies are cooled down completely serve with bloody red sauce on a side to dip cookies.
8. Makes about 90 cookies.

NOTES
Next time I will try to add a little bit less butter as fingers lost a little bit of shape during baking.

Testing - Roast Pork Loin with Garlic and Rosemary

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roast-Pork-Loin-with-Garlic-and-Rosemary-101684

Good instructions - used different instructions to cook above recipe, without searing meat first - very good, although the searing might add some pleasant smokiness.

4 large garlic cloves, pressed

4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 2 1/2-pound boneless pork loin roast, well trimmed

Fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)

1. An hour before cooking, take out of refrigerator and allow to come up to room temp.
2. Preheat oven to 300F with oven rack in middle position.
3. Meanwhile heat a skillet over medium high heat with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
4. Line 13 x 9 x 2-inch roasting pan with foil.
5. Mix first 4 ingredients in bowl.
6. Rub garlic mixture all over pork.
7. When skillet is smoking about 4-5 minutes add the roast, fat side up if a single loin. Brown the roast on all sides about 2 minutes per side, fat side last, lower temperature if the roast is burning.
8. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 145-150 degrees using an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the roast. Approximately 25-30 minutes per pound should register about 145-150 degrees. 
9. Remove roast from the oven, transfer to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil 15-20 minutes. The internal temperature will rise about 5-10 degrees while resting to a temperature of 155-160. For maximum tenderness do not cook past this temperature.
10. Pour any juices from roasting pan into small saucepan; set over low heat to keep warm.
11. Cut the twine off the roast, slice pork across the grain into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange pork slices on platter. Pour pan juices over. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Search

The beginning of my search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-big-fat-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookie/

http://www.marthastewart.com/344840/soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies

http://www.thekitchenmagpie.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe-softcakey-version

http://www.grouprecipes.com/1959/soft-chewy-variant-of-tollhouse-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

http://www.grouprecipes.com/36699/soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

http://www.versagrain.com/chewy-oatmeal-cookie-recipe.html

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/oatmeal_chocolate_chip_cookies.php

Untested - Curried Cauliflower Soup with Coconut and Chiles

From Jan 2012 Food&Wine

1 3/4 lb. head cauliflower, cored - one-third cut into 3/4 inch florets, the rest coarsely chopped
2 Tbsps. olive oil
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tsps. cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsps. coriander seeds
1 1/2 tsps. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp.  cinnamon
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsps. grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 baking potato (8oz), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 quart veg stock
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced
lime cut in wedges

See mag for instructions, pg 48.